


Steele Giving them a Hand

by NorahBolt56



Category: Remington Steele (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23594011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorahBolt56/pseuds/NorahBolt56
Summary: This fanfic is set after 'Steele at It', when Remington and Laura made their agreement while in Cannes to just have a professional relationship. As they struggle to adjust to their agreement, something happens which may just push them back together...
Relationships: Laura Holt/Remington Steele
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

“Hello Harry my boy – good to hear from you. How’s things?” Daniel Chalmers greeted his former protégé, the man who now went by the moniker Remington Steele. Remington sighed into the phone as he sat down on the lounge in his apartment, “Oh they’ve been better Daniel.”

“Oh..why is that?” Daniel asked with some concern. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard the younger man sound so dejected. Remington replied with a single word, “Laura.”

“Ah I see,” Daniel stated with sudden realization. He still didn’t quite understand the hold the feisty Miss Holt had over his former partner in crime, but ever since Harry had entered her life there had definitely been something different about him. In their former life together, Harry had seemed to have a different woman every week, sometimes every night. And yet here he was, going on for almost three years, ‘playing detective’ in Los Angeles, which for someone who had spent most of his life on the wrong side of the law and made a habit of never staying too long in one place, was totally uncharacteristic for him. There was only one explanation for it Daniel thought to himself - he was in love with her.

He had to admit Linda or Laura or whatever her name was, had a definite charm and beauty about her so he could see why Harry was attracted to her. Daniel himself had been rather taken with her delightful mother when he’d met her a couple of years before so he could see where she got it from. One thing he was sure of, Harry seemed to be in deep which both surprised and concerned him.

“Why – what’s happened with Linda, I mean Laura? Last time we spoke you two were headed to the French Riviera, one of the most romantic places on the earth,” Daniel asked.

“Yes well I’m afraid it hardly turned out to be that Daniel,” Remington admitted ruefully as he went on to explain to his former mentor what had happened between him and Laura while they were in Cannes.

“Ah I did hear about the Hapsburg Dagger being stolen – I thought that may have been your handiwork,” Daniel stated with more than a hint of pride.

“Yes well that bloody dagger brought me nothing but trouble Daniel,” Remington muttered.

“So my boy – what are you going to do? Are you happy to keep on playing detective but with no chance of having anything other than a professional relationship with her?”

Remington paused then answered honestly, “I.. I don’t know Daniel.”

“Well I could always do with my old partner in crime back with me again,” Daniel offered but knowing ‘Harry’ as he did, he knew that wasn’t going to happen again anytime soon.

“Thanks for the offer Daniel and while it is tempting I think I really need to sort things out with Laura,” Remington replied, wondering to himself if that was even going to be possible.

As if reading his mind, Daniel posed the question, “And how exactly do you plan to do that my boy?”

At that Remington ran a hand over his face and replied, “I have no idea,” as Daniel wondered how he could help him.

***************************************************************

At the same time in her loft across town, Laura Holt was talking to her mother Abigail on the phone. It had been two weeks since she and Mildred and Mr Steele had returned from Cannes and she’d been putting off calling her mother, knowing she was going to grill her about their time away. It certainly hadn’t panned out the way she’d planned – instead of moving their relationship forward like she’d hoped, they’d come to an impasse, leading to her deciding that it would be for the best if they stepped back from their personal relationship.

Mr Steele had agreed to her proposal, albeit a bit begrudgingly, which while on the surface she was glad about, deep down she was a bit disappointed he hadn’t fought her harder. And she had to admit it was proving more difficult than she thought it would to just have a professional relationship with him. They suddenly both didn’t really know how to act around each other and it was rather awkward at times. And if she was being honest with herself, she missed seeing him after hours – sharing dinner and perhaps a movie, not to mention feeling desired, in the way only he could make her feel.

But firming her resolve, she reminded herself why she had made that decision – he had betrayed her trust once again and what had really got to her was that he didn’t trust her enough to share his plans with her. Their personal relationship always seemed to complicate things between them – they always seemed to be taking one step forward then two steps back again. But professionally they made a great team and so far he had done a wonderful job of being the ‘face of the agency.’ And what a face it was, she found herself musing before scolding herself, “Stop it Laura! That’s what got you into this mess in the first place!”

And now, like always, her mother had taken matters into her own hands and called her. “Hello Mother,” Laura had greeted her, trying to sound cheerful. “Laura dear – I’ve been waiting for you to call me since you got back from your trip. But you’ve obviously been too busy to call your Mother,” Abigail replied, her tone slightly accusing. Laura rubbed her forehead in consternation and tried not to grit her teeth. “Yes I’m sorry Mother I’ve been flat out since we got back – I’ve been meaning to call,” Laura replied quickly. “Well never mind. Now I want to find out all about your holiday – it must have been so romantic on the French Riviera with your Mr Steele,” Abigail enthused, hoping her daughter and her handsome boss were moving their relationship along,

“Not so romantic I’m afraid,” Laura admitted, trying to hide the note of disappointment in her voice. “Actually we’ve decided it would be best to just have a professional relationship.”

Abigail almost dropped the phone. “You what? Well why on earth would you do a silly thing like that for? Really Laura for a smart girl I wonder what goes through your head sometimes!” she reprimanded her.

“Mother please!” Laura snapped. “It was a hard enough decision to make without you questioning my judgement as well,” she added, a tell-tale emotional catch to her voice that her mother, knowing her as she did, picked up on.

“Well what happened?” Abigail asked, her tone a bit softer. Laura sighed then told her mother what had happened, leaving certain details out like how her ‘boss’ had stolen a priceless dagger and the fact that she had decided to finally consummate their relationship.

Much to her daughter’s relief, Abigail listened, really listened, while she spoke. When Laura finished Abigail announced, “Well that settles it – I’m coming to Los Angeles. I’ll get onto the airline first thing tomorrow.”

“That’s really not necessary Mother,” Laura went to protest but Abigail was having none of it. “Nonsense - you need me so I’m going to be there for you Laura. After all, I’ve been here in Connecticut helping your sister Frances with the children and so forth for a while now and I’m conscious I haven’t spent as much time with you. Now I know you’re a very capable, independent young woman but a girl needs her mother sometimes and I suspect this is one of those times,” she stated adamantly.

“Mother I appreciate the offer but..” Laura still tried to argue but her mother cut her off firmly. “No buts Laura. Now I’m getting another call coming through so I must go - I’ll call you again with my flight details. Goodbye dear,” Abigail stated as she hung up the phone, leaving Laura shaking her head and muttering to herself, “Great that’s all I need.”

**********************************************************

A couple of days later, Remington walked into Laura’s office to give her back some paperwork he’d signed. “So ah..when’s your mother arriving?” he asked in an attempt to make conversation, hating the awkwardness that had seemed to have sprung up between them ever since they’d returned from Cannes. He was trying to keep things professional and businesslike but he couldn’t help sneaking glances at her when she wasn’t looking, wishing things were still like they were before between them.

“This afternoon at 4. Actually I probably should head off to the airport to pick her up – never know what the traffic’s going to be like this time of day,” Laura replied, trying not to linger too long as she looked up at him. “No indeed,” Remington replied as he tugged on an earlobe and forced a smile onto his face. “Well I’ll leave you to it then – give Abigail my best,” he added, heading back into his office as Laura watched him go and replied, “Thanks I will.”

Glad for an excuse to get out of the office and the awkwardness between herself and Remington, Laura headed down to the parking lot not long after, and drove to the airport, getting caught up in a bit of traffic along the way. When she reached LAX she saw on the board her mother’s flight had landed about 15 minutes earlier so she kept an eye out for her. When she still hadn’t appeared after another ten minutes Laura started to wonder where she might be and when she saw the pilots and cabin crew coming out through the gate she started to get a little concerned. “Excuse me,” she said to one of the stewardesses as she approached her, “Have all the passengers got off that flight?”

“Yes Miss they have – we always check everyone is off before we leave the plane,” the stewardess informed her as Laura thanked her. She wondered if her mother may have somehow missed the flight but it was unlike her not to let her know, being as meticulous as she was. Maybe she’s gone to the restroom or something, she thought to herself as she headed to the courtesy desk to have her paged. When there was still no sign of her, Laura tried to control the hint of worry she was starting to feel. She found a phone booth and dialed her mother’s home phone number only to have it ring out when it wasn’t answered. She then rang her sister who confirmed she had dropped her at the airport and she had got on the flight. “Thanks Frances – no I’m sure she’s fine and there’s a logical explanation. No need to panic – I’ll let you know once I find her,” Laura tried to reassure her and herself.

Not really knowing what else to do, she headed back to the office, wondering if it was too early to call the police. Remington was surprised to see her walk through the agency door as he was just about to lock up as Mildred had left early. “Laura? I didn’t think you’d be back this afternoon – dropped Abigail back at your place already?” he asked. A concerned look crossed Laura’s face, which puzzled him a bit as she shook her head. “Ah no.. she wasn’t on the flight – I’m not sure where she is. I rang Frances and she said she dropped her off at the airport and she got on the flight so I’m kind of at a loss. This is so unlike her,” she replied, unable to keep the worried note out of her voice.

“Well I’m sure there’s a logical explanation but ah.. do you think we should call the police, I mean just in case?” Remington suggested.

“Yes.. yes I think that’s a good idea,” Laura agreed. She was just about to pick up the phone on the reception desk when it rang. “Remington Steele Investigations,” she answered it automatically.

“is that Laura Holt?” a man’s voice asked on the other end, sounding like it had been digitally altered. “Yes it is,” Laura confirmed, wondering what was going on. “Good. Now I want you to listen very carefully Miss Holt – if you want to find out where your mother is you and Mr Steele need to go to the address I’m about to give you. Just you and Mr Steele – no-one else,” the man on the other end stated seriously as fear gripped Laura’s heart, which she tried to disguise with anger. “Now just hang on a minute – who are you and what have you done with my mother?” she demanded as Remington looked at her in alarm.

“It doesn’t matter who I am and your mother’s fine - for now. Now do as I say and write down this address – you and Mr Steele need to be there within the hour,” the man continued as Laura grabbed a pen and notepad and hurriedly jotted down the address. “Ok we’ll be there. Now let me talk to my mother so I know she’s okay,” Laura insisted. “All in good time Miss Holt. Now I suggest you and Mr Steele get moving,” the man retorted before hanging up. “Hello? Hello?!” Laura said frantically when the line went dead.

“Who was that?” Remington asked, a worried frown crossing his face. Laura took a deep breath to try and calm herself down then replied seriously, “I.. I don’t know – I didn’t recognize the voice. But whoever it was, he has my mother.”

Shocked by her revelation, Remington automatically pulled her into his arms, wanting to comfort her, and Laura welcomed his embrace, needing his support. “Did they demand a ransom or anything?” he asked gently as she shook her head. “No they didn’t. I mean what would he or they, whoever this is, want with my mother? All they said was we had to go to this address and get there within the hour,” she stated as she tried to fight back her worried tears and handed him the note with the address on it.

Remington looked at the address as a look of puzzled recognition crossed his face. “That’s a beachside restaurant in Malibu,” he announced quizzically as Laura looked equally as puzzled. “Why would he want us to go there?” Laura asked. “I don’t know – but there’s only one way to find out. Come on,” Remington replied urgently as they quickly locked up and he ushered Laura out of the door, both of them hoping Abigail was alright…


	2. Chapter 2

With Laura driving they reached Malibu well within the hour, pulling up outside the address she’d been given. “Why would my mother be being held in a restaurant? It doesn’t make sense,” she demanded as she got out of the car, Remington following her as she strode quickly towards the restaurant entrance. Remington shook his head, puzzled as well. They had tried to come up with theories during the drive as to who could be behind Abigail’s kidnapping & why but hadn’t being able to come up with anything concrete.

“No it doesn’t,” he agreed, then in an attempt to lighten the situation a little added, “Well let’s hope they’ve provided her with some food off the menu – I’ve heard it’s very good,” as Laura rolled her eyes at him. “Not helping,” she snapped as he mumbled a hurried apology then followed her inside.

Laura marched up to the maitre’d where he stood just inside the entrance. “Okay buster I want to know where my mother is!” she demanded angrily as the man looked at her, somewhat perplexed. “I’m sorry miss but I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about,” he replied as Remington stepped forward. “Listen mate I don’t know what you lot are playing at but my associate here got a message from someone saying her mother had been kidnapped and told us to come to this address,” he stated adamantly, his blue eyes blazing, as the maitre’d looked up and suddenly recognized the famous detective.

“You’re Remington Steele!” he exclaimed as Remington nodded in confirmation. “Yes I am but I don’t think that’s really important at the moment…” he went to reply only to have the maître’d cut him off. “Now I don’t know anything about the young lady’s mother but I do know we have a table reserved for you – if you’d like to follow me,” he said as he beckoned for Remington and Laura to follow him.

They exchanged a confused glance then Remington replied, “There must be some mistake – I never made a reservation for a table.”

“Well a lady rang earlier and made a reservation in your name. I just assumed she was your secretary,” the maitre’d informed them, looking as confused as they were.

“Mildred didn’t mention anything about a dinner reservation. This is getting more bizarre by the second,” Remington stated as Laura nodded in agreement and said, “Well we know one thing – there appears to be two people behind this, a man and a woman.”

Remington pondered this then asked, “So what’s our next move?”

“Well I guess we go to our table - it looks like whoever is behind my Mother’s disappearance is playing some sort of game with us. Perhaps we’ll find another clue to her whereabouts there?” Laura suggested, as she tried to stay focused and not allow her worries for her mother’s wellbeing overwhelm her. She knew she had to be on top of her game to find her. And as Remington nodded and they both followed the Maitre’d to an outside table with a magnificent view of the ocean, she realised that despite their recent agreement to just have a professional relationship, there was no-one else she would want by her side at that moment.

As they took their seats, both of them couldn’t help but admire the view. “If the circumstances were different I think this would be a delightful place to have dinner,” Remington remarked as Laura had to agree. “Yes the view’s stunning,” she replied, as Remington, his eyes on her, couldn’t help himself stating ,”Yes it is.” Their eyes met for a moment and while in the past she would have responded to such a compliment with a smile, she had to stop herself from doing so, not wanting him to think she was having second thoughts about their agreement.

Instead she chose to ignore his comment and instead began looking under the table and checking underneath the things on top of it. “What are you doing?” Remington asked.

“I’m looking for clues. There’s a reason we’re meant to be here after all,” she pointed out as she gave him an “isn’t it obvious look.”

“Yes, yes of course,” Remington replied hurriedly as he began doing the same but neither of them found anything.

“Well shall we order then? Maybe we need to do that before we get our next clue?” he suggested as he called for a waiter standing nearby to bring them some menus. They thanked the waiter then opened their respective menus. While Remington perused his, his eyes widening a little at the culinary delights on offer, Laura found to her surprise, a note tucked inside hers which read:

‘ _Miss Holt – rest assured your Mother is in good hands. She will continue to be if you follow these instructions to the letter._

_You will find the next clue to her whereabouts on the beach in front of where you are now seated. To determine exactly where that clue is located you must go down the stairs from the restaurant to the beach, then take a certain number of steps straight ahead of you._

_The number of steps you must take is the age Mr Steele was when he met his former mentor, Daniel Chalmers. You must not ask Mr Steele this question – if you truly know him you should know the answer._

_Once you have taken the correct amount of steps you must dig in the sand to find the next clue. This will bring you a step closer to finding your Mother and perhaps something more…”_

Laura read the note then read it again, wondering what on earth whoever left it was playing at and what the cryptic last line meant. Was it someone from Mr Steele’s past she suddenly wondered, who somehow knew him and Daniel? But then why would they abduct her mother? It made no sense at all.

She looked around for the waiter who had brought them the menus, wondering if he was connected with it all and if he had perhaps slipped the note into the menu he gave her but she couldn’t see him anywhere. “Excuse me,” she stopped another waiter passing by, “the waiter who just bought us our menus - would you happen to know where he is? He was tall with dark hair.”

The other waiter looked at her a bit puzzled. “I’m sorry mam but I’m not sure who you’re referring to - only Stacey and I are rostered on this area of the restaurant at the moment,” he replied as he nodded towards a waitress who was taking an order at a nearby table. It was then Laura’s turn to look puzzled as she thanked him – something here was very sus.

Unaware of what was happening, Remington then put his menu down and asked her, “So have you decided Laura? I’m thinking the linguine in clam sauce sounds rather appealing…”

Laura however interrupted him as she jumped up and grabbed the note and her handbag saying to him urgently, “Come on!” as she headed towards the stairs at the end of the balcony. “But Laura - we haven’t ordered yet?! The linguine…” Remington went to argue as he looked at her, confused by her actions, but followed her nonetheless.

“Where are we going and why?” he demanded as he followed her down the stairs to the beach. “Sssh,” she hushed him as she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember a conversation she’d had with Daniel Chalmers the first time she’d met him, in which he had come clean about his past with his former protégé. He had told her when he’d first found the man he still called Harry, that he had been an angry young man, ‘filled with hostility and violence’ she recalled him saying, which was a definite contrast to the man she knew as Remington Steele. But she also recalled that Daniel hadn’t specified how old ‘Harry’ had been at the time. She bit her lip in frustration for a moment then remembered that she had asked Mr Steele a bit more about his history with Daniel once they had wrapped up that case. And although he hadn’t been terribly forthcoming with details, he had let slip that he had been 14 when he had first met Daniel.

“Laura?” he persisted, bringing her back to the present as he looked at her with consternation, wondering what on earth was going on. “I just received more instructions in my menu as to how to find the next clue to where my Mother is,” she explained.

“Well what is it?” Remington asked. Laura however did not answer but started walking onto the beach from the bottom of the stairs, counting out 14 steps and hoping she was right.

He watched the intense look of concentration on her face then she suddenly crouched down on the sand and started digging. Still not quite knowing what they were doing, Remington nevertheless decided to follow her lead and crouched down next to her and started digging as well.

While they dug in the sand he asked, “How did you know where to dig?”. Laura handed him the note she’d found in the menu. He read it and then looked at her questioningly, hoping she’d remembered correctly. “You were fourteen right?” she asked hopefully as he nodded in confirmation. “Yes..yes I was,” he replied, both a bit surprised and heartened that she’d remembered.

They shared a smile just as Laura’s hands hit something hard. Excitedly she brushed off the sand to reveal a small wooden box. She opened it with a mixture of impatience and some trepidation, hoping whatever it would reveal would lead them closer to her mother. Inside was another note which read:

_Well done Miss Holt. You are a step closer to locating your Mother. The next question is for Mr Steele. As for the question you were asked, you cannot provide him with the answer to this one._

“Well.. what does it say?” Remington asked as he tried to read the expression on her face.

“It’s for you,” Laura replied as she handed it to him. “Me?” Remington asked, somewhat perplexed as he begun reading the note, in particular the question it asked him.

_Home is where the heart is so they say. You will find the next clue as to her mother’s whereabouts, hidden in Miss Holt’s apartment, in the place where she once hid as a child. If you know her well you should know where that is._

“Do you know what that means?” Laura asked worriedly, wondering how he would even know that.

He allayed her fears with a reassuring smile. “Actually I think I do. Let’s go,” he replied as he gave her a hand up, recalling as he did so, a conversation he’d had with Abigail when he’d first made her acquaintance. They quickly brushed the sand off themselves then raced back to the Rabbit, keen to find the next clue and hopefully find Abigail as soon as possible…


	3. Chapter 3

As they drove back to Laura’s apartment she put the pedal to the metal, not wanting to waste anymore time. As she took one corner particularly hard, slamming Remington into the passenger side door, he suggested, “Laura – I’m as keen as you are to get to the bottom of this and locate your mother but ah..does your driving have to be ah.. quite that exuberant? I mean the last thing we need to be doing is attracting the attention of the local constabulary eh?” as he forced a smile onto his face.

Laura shot him a sideways glance but said nothing but eased back on the accelerator slightly nevertheless, realizing he did have something of a point. Still, her mind was working overtime trying to figure out who would have kidnapped her mother and why, and who would know such private details from ‘Mr Steele’s’ and her own past. One person who she thought might be a likely suspect did pop into her mind, although she did wonder if even he could be capable of such a thing.

As she reluctantly slowed to a stop at a red light she turned to Remington and asked, her expression serious, “So tell me – why would Daniel Chalmers want to kidnap my mother?”.

Remington looked at her in disbelief, wondering how she could even think Daniel was capable of such a thing. “I beg your pardon?” he replied, stunned and more than a little angry at the suggestion.

“Daniel?! Are you serious Laura? Why on earth would Daniel kidnap your mother?? What a preposterous idea! Now Daniel may not exactly tread the straight and narrow but he is definitely no kidnapper,” he continued adamantly, his eyebrows knitting into a frown.

“Well who else would know how old you were when you first met him?” Laura argued. Remington didn’t have an easy answer for that but he countered, “Well how would Daniel know where you hid as a child eh?”

That point did stop Laura in her tracks momentarily as she didn’t know either. “Well I don’t know – maybe my Mother mentioned it to him one time?” she retorted, although she suspected she was grasping at straws.

Remington blew out a frustrated breath. “Seriously? They’ve only met once Laura – I hardly think your childhood exploits would have been a topic of conversation! in fact I think they fancied each other so he certainly wouldn’t want to harm her now would he?” he stated firmly as Laura narrowed her eyes at him. She hated feeling helpless and not in control and this whole situation with her mother was worrying her sick, and unfortunately he was in the firing line.

“Don’t remind me about them ‘fancying each other’!” she snapped. “He swanned in and won my mother over with his so called charm - sending her flowers and the like..”

“As I recall saying to you at the time, did you ever consider that maybe he actually had genuine feelings for her?” Remington cut her off, as they both suddenly wondered if they were only talking about Daniel and Abigail.

“Pfft!” Laura scoffed as the light turned green and she hit the accelerator a little too hard on purpose which pushed Remington back into his seat as he shot her a dirty look. “Oh really?? I know exactly what ‘feelings’ he had for her..” she retorted in disgust.

“And what makes you the expert eh? You hardly know the man!” he shot back at her.

“I know enough! I know he’s a conman and a thief and couldn’t lie straight in bed! He strung my mother along and would have broken her heart if I hadn’t stepped in!” Laura threw at him.

“You what?! So you interfered in their relationship? You are unbelievable – just have to be in control of everything don’t you? Even your mother’s love life,” Remington muttered as he shook his head.

Laura was silent for a moment, as she found much to her frustration, tears suddenly springing to her eyes. “You didn’t have to live through what my father leaving did to her. I never want her to have to go through that pain again,” she stated as she looked out the driver’s side window so he wouldn’t see her tears.

Remington hesitated before replying, realizing he’d upset her and that her anger was borne out of worry for her mother. “Laura..I..I’m sorry. That was out of line. I know you’re worried about your mother - I am as well. Now I don’t know who’s behind this anymore than you do but I do know Daniel and I know he wouldn’t want to harm her,” he said sincerely, his tone softer than before.

Laura nodded gratefully, her voice escaping her for a moment. Knowing he could show her better by his actions rather than words that he was there for her, he momentarily covered her hand that was on the gear stick and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll find her Laura – I promise,” he suddenly found the words he’d been looking for, hoping it was a promise he could fulfill.

**********************************************

Once they reached her apartment building, they raced up the three flights of stairs to Laura’s loft. “Okay – where’s your laundry basket?” Remington asked. In reply to Laura’s puzzled but relieved look he replied, “Abigail mentioned to me once that you hid in the laundry basket one time as a child.”

Wondering how that had even come up in conversation Laura replied, “It’s in the bathroom.”

“Right,” Remington stated as he went to head in there but Laura stood in front of him blocking his way.

“Laura .. there’s no time for mucking about – there’s a potential clue in there..,” he went to argue.

“I’ll look in there,” Laura stated adamantly and with more than a hint of embarrassment, not wanting him to go through her laundry, especially her undergarments. Suddenly realizing the reason for her reluctance for him to search it, he tried unsuccessfully to hide the lopsided grin that crossed his face which she tried to ignore. Ever the gentleman though, he waited outside in her bedroom while she rummaged through her laundry basket in the bathroom. “Found it!” she announced triumphantly as she emerged from the bathroom carrying a note, trying to put to the back of her mind the fact that her mother’s kidnapper had been in her apartment, much less her laundry hamper.

“What does it say?” Remington asked as Laura read it aloud.

_Well done - another step closer to what you need._

_Hearts were stolen along with a painting_

_Five women plus another stood in the way_

_Go to the place where the painting was found_

_Working together you will save the day._

_(By the way, you need to do your washing)_

Both of them looked at each other, puzzled. “So the kidnapper’s a poet now?” Remington quipped as he arched an eyebrow. “Seems that way,” Laura replied drolly. “A painting..five women? Could that be the ‘Five Nudes of Cairo’?” she surmised.

“Seems logical,” Remington agreed. “But what’s that line, ‘ _Hearts were stolen along with a painting_ ’ supposed to mean?” he asked as he gave her a meaningful look, both of them suspecting what it meant but neither wanting to admit it, especially given the current status of their personal relationship.

“I..I have no idea,” Laura replied a little uncomfortably, avoiding his intent gaze. The person or persons behind all this were getting a bit too personal now and hitting a bit too close for comfort.

 _Five women plus another stood in the way_ , she read the note again. Could the other woman it was referring to be Felicia she wondered? Could she be behind this? But why?? She guessed she might know about Remington’s past with Daniel, but how would she know about her past? Could this be some sort of plan to get ‘Michael’ as Felicia called him back, although Laura had to admit that seemed a bit drastic, even for Felicia. But then the little jibe at the end about needing to do her washing would be typical of her, she thought to herself.

“Do you think Felicia might be behind this?” she voiced her suspicion as Remington thought about it for a moment then shook his head. “No I don’t think so – she’s usually a bit more, how shall I say – direct. Sending us off on a wild goose chase doesn’t seem like her style. And while she knows some things about my past I doubt she would know anything about yours,” he pointed out.

“Well who then? And what are they trying to do with all this? There’s been no ransom demand, just these cryptic clues which don’t seem to be leading us any closer to my mother,” Laura stated in exasperation.

“Well whoever it is they’ve done their homework and seem to know quite a bit about the two of us,” Remington remarked as Laura nodded. He then strode over to the door and checked it for any signs of forced entry. “Anything?” Laura asked as he shook his head with a sigh. “So I’m guessing they either had a key..” he went to say. “Or picked the lock,” Laura put in as she gave him a meaningful look.

“You still think someone from my past is behind all this?” Remington asked a little increduously. “It’s just as likely to be someone from your past you know,” he pointed out.

Laura knew she had to concede him that point and it frustrated the hell out of her still not having any real clue who was behind it or more importantly where her mother was. As if reading her mind Remington said, “Hopefully your mother’s being held in the museum then – only one way to find out eh?”

Laura nodded as they both headed out the door, hoping to get to the bottom of this and find Abigail without any further delay..


	4. Chapter 4

When they reached the museum, Remington carefully picked the lock to the service entrance door then once they were inside he keyed in the code to disable the security system. “Handy the museum had us install this system after the Five Nudes of Cairo caper eh?” he whispered with a grin . “Indeed,“ Laura agreed with a rueful grin of her own, “although I never thought we’d be bypassing it ourselves.”

They quietly made their way into the museum, keeping an eye out for any security guards and looking for any clues as to Abigail’s whereabouts. “Look over there – that looks like one of my mother’s scarves,” Laura suddenly whispered as she pointed to a lilac coloured piece of fabric on the other side of the room they were in. They inched over to it and Laura picked it up and examined it. ”Well it definitely looks like hers,” she stated. “Well at least we know then she’s here somewhere,” Remington replied with an encouraging smile.

Laura nodded as she looked around, hoping they were going to find her safe & sound soon. “But where?” she asked. “We’ve only got thirty minutes before the security system automatically turns itself back on so we better get cracking. Any ideas?”

Remington paused for a moment then replied, “Actually I do – come on let’s see if my hunch is correct. There’s a Rodin exhibition on display at the moment – let’s check there,” he beckoned her to follow him as he headed towards one of the main display rooms of the museum.

They entered the room and Remington immediately spied the statue he was looking for – a sculpture of a naked man and woman in a passionate embrace. “’The Kiss’ by Auguste Rodin – sculpted in 1889 if I remember correctly,” he announced quietly as Laura looked at him with some surprise, both that his knowledge of rare artworks was almost as encyclopedic as his knowledge of old movies, and also that he thought this particular sculpture would hold a clue for them.

“But why this sculpture?” she asked in a whisper as he raised an eyebrow at her. “Well…think about it, this whole search for your mother seems to revolve around us for some reason – sending us to a romantic restaurant with a beautiful view, then to your home and now back here to a place where we worked successfully together on a case early on in our time together. If I didn’t know better I’d say some one was trying to send us some sort of message, wouldn’t you?” Remington proposed his theory. While Laura had had similar thoughts, she was a bit reluctant to admit it. Why would someone kidnap her mother in an effort to get her and Mr Steele back together?? It didn’t make any sense and why would the kidnapper have to gain by doing that anyway? And she also didn’t want to admit, especially to him, that the thought of resuming their personal relationship was very tempting. ‘Focus Laura!’ she chided herself, knowing she needed a clear head now more than ever, and this was just demonstrating to her why a personal relationship with him was a bad idea - it just made things way too complicated.

“Laura?” Remington asked when she didn’t answer straight away. She looked at him somewhat uncomfortably then averting her gaze a bit answered, “I..I guess so.”

“Well only one way to find out eh?” he replied with a grin as he made his way over to the sculpture. “Sorry folks don’t mean to disturb your moment there,” he quipped, trying to bring a bit of levity to the situation while he inspected the sculpture. Tucked under the man’s hand that was resting on the woman’s hip he found a note. “Just as I thought!” he exclaimed with excitement as he pulled it out. “Okay, okay - stop patting yourself on the back. What does it say?’ Laura asked as she rolled her eyes a little at him.

Remington read the note aloud:

_Your final step is near_

_To find what you hold dear_

_A risk you must take_

_And a decision you must make_

_What you seek will be found_

_When you take your feet off the ground._

“Well what in the blazes is that supposed to mean?” Remington demanded in exasperation, starting to get tired of all these riddles. He was trying to keep a level head for Laura’s sake but the longer it took the more he found himself worrying about Abigail. It was also driving him mad trying to figure out who was behind this and why.

Laura took the note from him and read it again. “What you seek will be found when you take your feet off the ground..,” she pondered the last two lines then she stated, “Well this seems to suggest something up high.”

Remington nodded. “Perhaps your mother is being held on the top floor somewhere?” he offered. “Sounds feasible,” Laura agreed as they both ran out of the room to the nearest staircase, knowing they didn’t have much time left.

The top floor of the museum only held a few rooms. They quickly searched them and to their frustrated disappointment found no trace of Abigail. “Oh this is crazy! Where is she?!” Laura exclaimed frantically, starting to panic a little.

Sensing she needed some comforting encouragement Remington didn’t hesitate to pull her into his arms, despite the agreement they’d made in Cannes. “We’re going to find her Laura,” he tried to reassure her and himself. “And what if we don’t?” Laura countered as she roughly brushed away the frustrated, worried tears that had sprung to her eyes.

He didn’t have an easy answer for that so he replied with a gentle smile, “Well I know one thing for sure – your mother is a smart, strong woman and I’m sure she’ll be putting up a fight. So that gives me hope that we will find her safe and sound. In fact she reminds me a lot of her daughter.”

Laura looked at him in surprise. “I’m nothing like my mother!” she retorted vehemently as Remington’s smile got a bit wider. “Oh I’d have to disagree with you there Laura. True you probably don’t quite have her fastidiousness or some of her.. how shall we say, more ‘annoying’ traits, but when she helped Daniel and I out in that sting we pulled on that Hoskins chap, she showed a daring side that was thrilled by a bit of adventure and she didn’t hold back. And the way she stood up for you when we were working on the ‘Five Nudes of Cairo’ case showed a strength and loyalty that I must say, seemed very familiar,” he stated, his blue eyes twinkling at her as Laura averted her gaze, suspecting , as much as she didn’t want to admit it, that he’d hit the nail on the head.

“I guess that could be somewhat true,” she conceded, knowing that one of the reasons she and her mother butted heads was that deep down, they were actually quite alike. Her fears overwhelming her a bit though she added, “What if I don’t get the chance to tell her that and to..tell her that I love her?” she said softly, her voice choked with emotion, her mother’s kidnapping making her realise just how much she did actually love her, despite her driving her crazy sometimes. There was so many things she needed to say to her, to tell her, she realised, in order to heal the rift that had grown between them ever since her father left.

Remington held her a bit closer and rested his head atop of hers. “Come on now you can’t think like that - we’re in this together okay and I’m sure together we can find her,” he whispered encouragingly, then added as a memory popped into his head, “Actually I think I might know where she is.”

“You do?” Laura asked as she pulled he head back from his chest where she’d been resting it to look at him, a glimmer of hope forming within her. “Yes I think I do. If I remember correctly there is a little store room tucked away right over in the far corner of the building there,” Remington replied as he nodded in the general direction of where he was speaking of. “How do you know that?” Laura asked.

“Well..ah. when I was putting the plan together to steal ‘The Five Nudes of Cairo’ I conducted a rather thorough study of the museum’s layout. I did actually consider at one point hiding the painting in there once I’d stolen it, but I unfortunately didn’t have the time to get up here,” Remington explained as they quickly made their way to the room. “Well at least you didn’t end up in jail like yours truly,” Laura replied ruefully as Remington couldn’t help but grin at her. “Touche’” he replied drolly as the memories of that night flooded back to both of them.

Laura couldn’t help but remember the adrenaline rush she’d felt when she’d slipped down the makeshift zip line he’d rigged up to avoid the security laser beams. And then when he’d caught her and held her for a few moments more than necessary that rush had only intensified. Remington also found himself remembering that moment, as well as hiding behind a statue with her in rather close quarters, sharing a very excellent cognac he recalled. He’d been both surprised and impressed with her daring that night – when he’d suggested she help him steal the painting he had thought it would be a long shot for her to agree, but agree she had done, much to his delight. He had found it quite exciting – introducing her to the thrill of the heist and the very real risk, as it turned out, of being caught. He hadn’t wanted to let her take the fall, but he knew if he was caught as well his chances of protecting both the painting as well as her agency would have been shot to pieces. And it had all luckily turned out well in the end, despite a few hairy moments, which he hoped would also be the case now.

Once they reached the store room Laura tried the door only to find it locked. “Damn it!” she muttered in frustration as she rattled it a bit harder only to be greeted by a muffled noise coming from inside the room. “Mother..is that you? It’s me..Laura,” she said hopefully through the door as the muffled noises became louder and Laura recognized them as very much belonging to her mother.

“It’s her – she’s in there!” she announced with a mixture of relief and excitement as she spontaneously hugged Remington. “Thank goodness,” he replied, welcoming the hug. “Let’s get her out of there then eh?” he added as he crouched down and went to pick the lock only to find to his dismay that it had a combination lock. “Bugger!” he muttered, realizing he wouldn’t be able to pick it. “What’s wrong?’ Laura asked in alarm – they couldn’t get this close and not be able to get to her mother surely, she thought a little desperately. “It’s a combination lock – I can’t pick it. I mean I could try and crack it like a safe but I’m afraid that’ll take more time than we have,” Remington explained.

Upon seeing the desperate, pained look cross Laura’s face he knew he had to do something. “Stand back,” he told her then said through the door, “Abigail it’s Mr Steele here - if you’re near the door and if you’re able to, move away from it.”

“What are you going to do?” Laura asked.

“This,” he replied as he walked back a few steps then ran full speed at the door, ramming his shoulder into it in an attempt to break it down. However, the door stayed firmly shut, much to their frustration and Remington’s pain as he rubbed his shoulder gingerly, hoping he hadn’t broken anything. “Bloody hell that’s one hard door!” he muttered in pain as Laura rushed to his side. “Are you okay?” she asked with concern. He nodded, in an attempt to convince her and himself.

“What do we do now? There must be some way to get in there,” Laura stated in exasperation.

“There is,” Remington replied, thinking of the lines of the clue:

_A risk you must take_

_And a decision you must make_

_What you seek will be found_

_When you take your feet off the ground._

In reply to Laura’s questioning look he said, “The room has a window – maybe if I hop out on this ledge,” he nodded towards the window they were standing in front of, “I can shuffle across to that window and get in that way.”

Laura took a look out the window at the rather narrow ledge and three storey drop from it. “I’ll do it,” she announced determinedly, then added, “She is my mother after all.”

“Absolutely not,” Remington replied just as adamantly. The thought of Laura putting herself in danger was more than he could take. “I’ve done this before remember..well something similar,” he argued.

“What without a harness or rope?” Laura countered as he thought to himself she does have a point there but then he remembered back to his younger days – that young street kid he had once been who could climb like a monkey into an open window, no matter how high, if it would lead to a warm place to kip for the night or some food he could nick to fill his empty stomach. And as desperate as he had felt during those times in his life, it was nothing compared to the desperation he felt now – the happiness of the woman he loved depended on him. That thought struck him – while he’d suspected it for quite some time, it was the first time he had actually let himself admit, if only to himself, that he did indeed love Laura, and her happiness meant everything to him. He had a chance to save her mother for her and he knew he couldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t at least try.

“Well yes in my younger days – let’s just call it a misspent youth eh?” he replied, then putting thoughts of the danger to himself to one side he moved to the window before Laura could stop him and pushing it open, he went to hoist himself out onto the ledge.

Laura looked at him, stunned that he would put his own life on the line to save her mother’s. “Why..why are you doing this?” she asked him, her eyes searching his for an answer and her voice barely a whisper. Remington paused for a moment then answered, “Isn’t it obvious Laura?” as he gave her a meaningful look then pulled himself onto the ledge.

“Be careful!” she urged him, her heart and mind whirling at the implications of his last statement. Deep down she knew the answer to his question, but it both warmed her heart and scared the hell out of her.

“I will. It’s going to be okay – trust me Laura,” he replied as he flashed her a lopsided grin and began inching his way along the ledge, trying not to look down as he did so..


	5. Chapter 5

Remington continued inching along the ledge while Laura leaned out of the window a bit to keep an eye on him. “Can you see the window?” she asked as he nodded. “There’s just a bit of the ledge here that sticks out somewhat but once I get round that I should be able to reach it,” Remington informed her. As he went to step around it however he suddenly lost his footing, frantically grabbing onto a downpipe with one hand to stop himself from falling three storeys, his hand slipping a bit as he did so.

“Oh my God!” Laura exclaimed in fear as she automatically leant further out the window to try and grab him. “Give me your other hand!” she urged him frantically, the terrified look in her eyes reflected in his.

“No I could accidentally pull you down with me! You won’t be able to pull me up,” Remington protested with a shake of his head as he desperately tried to swing his feet back up onto the ledge. “You won’t pull me down with you - I know I can’t pull you up but I can help you anchor yourself. Now give me your hand!” Laura argued. At that moment their eyes met as she pleaded with him, “Trust me,” and as she said that, Remington realised that there was in fact no one else in his life that he trusted more – especially with his life. With that thought in mind he reached for her as she reached for him, their hands meeting and grabbing onto each for dear life. With Laura anchoring him he was able to regain his balance and get his feet back onto the ledge. “Thanks,” he stated as he flashed her a grateful grin, both of them breathing a sigh of relief. “Anytime,” Laura replied with a dimpled smile, not allowing herself to think what might have happened if he hadn’t grabbed her hand.

After regaining his composure and taking extra care with his feet, Remington inched closer to the storeroom window as Laura watched, her heart in her mouth. He reached the window and peered inside, spying Abigail Holt sitting inside the small room, gagged and tied to a chair. “I can see your mother!” Remington announced as Laura thought to herself, “Thank God!”.

Remington carefully eased the fortunately unlocked window open and hoisted himself inside.

“Abigail! Are you alright? Don’t worry I’ll get you out of there in a jiffy,” he greeted her with a reassuring smile as he swung down from the window. “Thankyou Mr Steele but there’s really no need. And to answer your question – I’m fine, have been all along,” Abigail replied with a mischievous smile as she pulled her hands free and took off the gag, leaving Remington staring at her in stunned disbelief.

She then went to the door and opened it saying “Come in Laura dear.”

“Mother!? You’re alright – oh thank God!” Laura exclaimed as she hugged her mother hard, so relieved to see her alive and well.

“Yes I’m perfectly fine Laura dear,” Abigail assured her then Remington asked, a frown clouding his handsome features, “Abigail would you mind explaining to the both of us what on earth is going on here as you obviously were only pretending to be tied up?”. Laura looked at him in shock and then at her mother. “What?? Mother, is that true?”

Looking momentarily like a naughty schoolgirl Abigail replied, “Yes I’m afraid it is dear. But to explain properly I think I need my ‘partner in crime,” as she nodded to the doorway behind Laura where Daniel Chalmers had suddenly appeared.

“And what a delightful ‘partner in crime’ you made Abigail,” Daniel stated with a devillish grin as he stepped into the room and taking Abigail’s hand in his, kissed it as she gave him a conspiratorial wink.

“Daniel?? What in the blazes is going on?” Remington demanded as he looked from his former mentor to Laura’s mother.

“Harry my boy – let me explain,” Daniel said, putting his hands up in a conciliatory gesture in an effort to calm his former protégé down. “Yes Daniel please do,” Remington retorted, his tone clipped, as he crossed his arms in front of him and looked at Daniel expectantly.

“Well after our last phone conversation I got to thinking..,” Daniel started.

“As did I, Laura after we last spoke,” Abigail put in.

“Thinking what?” Laura demanded with her hands on her hips, wanting to get to the bottom of this and fast.

“Thinking my dear girl that you and Harry here could do with a bit of a hand– a gentle nudge in the right direction as it were,” Daniel replied with a smile.

“And what direction is that exactly?” Remington posed the question.

“Well back to each other of course Mr Steele,” Abigail stated matter-of-factly. “When Daniel called me and we discussed the matter we knew we had to do something, as you two obviously can’t seem to sort yourselves out,” she added as she gave them both an exasperated look.

“So we came up with a plan – a most ingenious one I must say,” Daniel put in as he smiled at Abigail who beamed back at him.

Remington and Laura exchanged a somewhat shocked glance. This whole thing had just been a scheme to get them back together??

“Mother! You mean this was all a set up?? I was worried sick about you!” Laura exclaimed in shock and anger as Abigail gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for worrying you dear but desperate times call for desperate measures I’m afraid,” she replied as Laura stood there stunned, not quite believing what she was hearing.

“And I could have bloody well broken my neck or worse Daniel!” Remington stated angrily as his former mentor just smiled at him. “But you didn’t did you Harry? You need to have more faith in yourself my boy – just like I do. I knew your athletic ability and fleet footedness wouldn’t let you down,” Daniel replied confidently then added as he looked at Laura, “And I knew your partner wouldn’t let you down either – you two make such a good team, both professionally and personally might I add.”

“So let me get this straight – the two of you sent us on this wild goose chase for nothing?” Laura asked as she glared at both her mother and Daniel.

“Oh not for nothing Laura,” Abigail replied as she gave her youngest daughter a knowing look. “If the two of you think about it you’ll realise this ‘case’ as it were has shown you what Daniel and I have known for a long time.”

“And what’s that Mother?” Laura retorted almost defiantly, hating to admit her mother was right.

“Laura, Laura, Laura..,,” Daniel said with a smile, finally calling her by actual name, rather than ‘Linda’. “It has hopefully demonstrated to you that you belong together. Just look how wonderfully you worked together solving the clues.”

At that Remington let out a frustrated sigh. “With all due respect Daniel, all that shows is that we have a good professional partnership,” he responded as Laura nodded in agreement, both of them afraid to admit that their connection went much deeper than that.

“Harry my boy – how long have I known you? As I’ve told you many times before – don’t try and con a con-artist,” Daniel replied as he shook his head at him

“I’m not trying to con you Daniel…,” Remington went to argue but Daniel cut him off.

“Oh I’m not talking about me Harry – I’m talking about yourself. You know as well as I do how you feel about Miss Holt. Look at how much you know about her. And if you didn’t feel as strongly as you do for her, would you have put your life on the line to save her mother?” Daniel confronted him with the truth as Remington looked decidedly uncomfortable, both under the intent gaze of his former mentor and of Laura herself.

“And you my dear daughter need to see what is right in front of you,” Abigail stated firmly. “This man is caring, loyal, unselfish, dependable – everything your father wasn’t, and I should know! He is not going to break your heart.”  
  


“Mother you don’t understand..” Laura went to protest as she rubbed her head in consternation as her mother was hitting too close to home.

“Oh I understand perfectly Laura – are you forgetting I’ve known you your whole life? You’re so scared you’re going to get hurt again that you won’t even take a chance on love,” Abigail interjected.

“Seems you two are more alike than you realise,” Daniel stated wisely as he exchanged a glance with Abigail who nodded in agreement. “Take it from us older and wiser folk who have loved and lost, what the two of you have together is too precious to throw away. The bond you have, whether you want to admit it or not, is real. And don’t try and tell us you can’t trust each other – you just trusted Laura with your very life Harry,” Daniel pointed out.

“And you trusted Mr Steele with mine Laura,” Abigail added as Laura and Remington exchanged a glance, both of them knowing that ‘their ‘elders’ were right.

“I..I guess that’s true,” Laura conceded as Remington nodded.

“Of course it’s true,” Abigail stated a little impatiently, hoping they didn’t go through all this for nothing. As if reading her mind, Daniel said with a grin, “Now we do sincerely apologise for worrying you unnecessarily but you forced our hand really into executing this elaborate ruse. But I must admit we did have a bit of fun putting it all together, leaving the two of you a trail of clues to follow like breadcrumbs which led you here, to each other. And who would have known what a wonderful poet you are Abigail?”

“Oh Daniel you flatter me, but you had the idea to put this elaborate scheme into place after all. And you found that out of work actor to play the waiter at the restaurant, not to mention paying off the museum security guards which was rather naughty of you I must admit,” Abigail all but gushed in reply as Laura tried to not roll her eyes too much.

“Now we’d love to stay and chat but I think the two of you have some rather important things to discuss,” Daniel said to Remington and Laura then turning to Abigail he offered her his arm and with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes suggested, “Shall we my dear? I hear there’s a lovely restaurant up in Malibu that’s worth a visit.”

“Sounds wonderful – I’m starving after being ‘held captive’ for so long,” Abigail replied with a cheeky smile of her own, then added with a laugh as she walked off arm in arm with Daniel, “Oh and Laura dear, when you get the chance – you really do need to do your laundry.”

“Do you believe those two?” Laura said to Remington once they were alone. Remington chuckled ruefully in reply. “Their hearts were in the right place I guess,” he admitted. “Yes I guess so,” Laura agreed with a sigh.

“Ah.. speaking of hearts…,” Remington began a little tentatively, “I guess they did prove a point eh?”

Knowing she couldn’t deny it anymore, Laura moved a bit closer to him. “Yes.. yes I guess they did. I could have lost you tonight,” she admitted, her voice choked with emotion.

“But you didn’t - thanks to you,” Remington replied softly as he closed the distance between them.

He hesitated or a moment then confessed, “When I was hanging on that ledge tonight, with your hand my only lifeline, I realised something.”

“And what was that?” Laura asked, hoping it was the same thing as what she had also realised in that moment.

At that Remington decided to follow his mentor’s advice and throw caution to the wind - nothing ventured, nothing gained, sport, he told himself. He gently cupped Laura’s cheek and said, “I realised that you indeed are my lifeline Laura and I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You have given me so much and taught me so much - and the most important thing you’ve taught me is how to love. I know I agreed to just having a professional relationship with you but.. it’s not enough Laura. I need you..all of you.”

As he spoke, Laura’s eyes widened with both surprise and delight. Was he actually saying what she had needed to hear from him all this time? And as she looked at the expectant, vulnerable look in his eyes she knew it was true. Following his lead, she knew as her mother had said, that she needed to see what was right in front of her. She needed to see this man for what he truly was instead of what she wanted to see. He was so much more than a former con-artist and thief and she had realised when his life was on the line tonight, just how much he meant to her.

Summoning up her courage she confessed, “I realised something at that moment too. That I need you in my life and not just as the face of my fictitious boss. I realised that I can trust you and that I need to give you.. give us.. a chance.”

As he listened to her words, a boyish grin spread across Remington’s face, realising she felt the same.

“I guess it would be a shame to let all Daniel & Abigail’s hard work go to waste,” he quipped as a dimpled smile crossed Laura’s face and she found herself moving into his arms. “Yes I guess it would,” she agreed.

“So.. where do we go from here eh?’ Remington asked, his eyes searching hers for an answer.

“I guess we take it one day at a time and see where it leads us,” Laura stated as Remington nodded in agreement.

“Well how about for now we get out of here and grab a bite to eat somewhere – we never did get our meals at that restaurant they sent us to after all ,” Remington suggested.

“Sounds like a plan Mr Steele. But first I think we need to agree to end that agreement we made in Cannes and make a new one don’t you think?” Laura replied as she linked her arms around his neck.

“Oh definitely – and how shall we do that exactly?” Remington asked with a smile as he pulled her even closer.

“Let’s seal it with a kiss shall we?” Laura murmured in reply, her voice husky and her smile mirroring his.

“My sentiments exactly Miss Holt, my sentiments exactly,” Remington replied as they proceeded to do just that…

THE END


End file.
